brown



J. S. BROVN, OF WTASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ADDRESSI'NG LETTERS.

v,Epeccation of Letters Patent No. 38,393, dated September 9, 1862.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. S. BROWN, of lVashiiigton, in the county of Washington and District of Columbia, have invented a new and Improved Direction for or Method of Directing Letters, Papers, and Packages; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, like letters designating corresponding parts in all of the figures thereof.

One part of my invention consists in separate, transferable cards of address, as in Figure 4; and indi ated at A, in all of the figures of the drawings. rlhese cards are to contain the name of the person, or party, addressed, his place of residence, and such other particulars as may be useful in giving a correct and sure direction of the letters, papers, or packages; and for letters and packages, may also include the business or professional card of the person, yor party, addressed, and any other information usual or convenient and desirable. The direction may be Written, but generally and preferably printed. The cards may be only large enough to contain the address, as indicated in Fig. l; or the address may be attached to, or printed on, slips of paper, O, of sufficient length and breadth, nearly or quite to fill the envelop, as shown in Figs. 2, and 5. Or they may be provided With an adhesive substance on the back, for attaching to envelops,

or Wrappers, like stamps.

The other part of my invention consists in an improved envelop, or Wrapper, D. The improvement is, to make the envelop, or Wrapper, transparent, sufficiently to clearly show the cards of address through its face. There may be only a transparent portion B, large enough to exhibit the direction through it; and this may be made either by rendering a portion of the envelop, or Wrapper, itself transparent, by the same means or substances as employed for making tracing paper or any other, in the process of manufacturing the paper, or the envelop, leaving the remainder of the envelop opaque. Or a piece ofthe envelop, of the proper size and shape, may be cut out of the envelop; and the aperture, thus made, covered With transparent paper, or other equivalent transparent covering. For some uses, the aperture need not have the transparent covering; but some of the advantages of the complete invention are thereby lost. The transparent portion may be either near one corner of the envelop, as shown in Figs. 3, and 4;; or near the center thereof, as in Fig. 6.

Instead of making only a small portion of the envelop, or wrapper, transparent, the

Whole envelop, or, at least, the Whole face of it, may be madetransparent. There may be an unsealed, opaque Wrapper inside of the entirely transparent envelop, if desired; the said Wrapper having the address card printed on, or attached to it, or separate therefrom, as may be most convenient.

The card of address is to be simply placed Within the envelop, or Wrapper, along with the letter, paper, or other article inclosed, in such a manner as to exhibit the direction through the transparency of the envelop. When the paper C, of the address card nearly fills the envelop, as indicated in Figs. 2, and 5, there Will be no difficulty in securing the direction in the right position. If the transparent portion B, of the envelop is near one corner, as in Figs. 3, and et, the card of address A, Will be in a corresponding position on the paper C, as shown in Fig. 2. And if the transparent portion of the envelop is in the middle thereof, as in Fig. 6, the card of address will also correspond, in position, on the paper C, as shown in Fig. 5.

' lhen persons, or parties, correspond frequently, or in any case, if desired, the directions of both persons, or parties, may be en the same slipwof paper. If the address of one person, or party, is near one corner of the ,paperQQas shown at A, Fig. 2, and exhibited through the envelop in Fig. 3, by a corresponding letter, the address of the other person, or party, in correspondence, may be on the same side of the paper C, near the corner diagonally opposite, as indicated at A', Fig. 2, and exhibited through the envelop by the corresponding letter, in Fig. 4L. But if the address of one person, or party, is on the middle of the paper C, as shown in Fig. 5, and exhibited through the envelop in Fig. 6, the address of the other person, or party, will be on the middle of the other side of the paper slip.

The uses and advantages of this invention are many and important. Among the most obvious, the following may be mentioned:

First, a considerable saving of time is effected, since the Writing of every address is obviated. For it Will be found extremely advantageous to have the address printed; and, since the same card of address may be used again and again, a supply, int-he first instance, sufficient to furnish each corre- Second, greatly improved distinctness andV accuracy of direction are thus secured; a consideration of the utmost importance, since misdire'ctions, and consequent losses and inconveniences will be almost entirely avoided; and the perfect clearness and correctness of the address will enable the post 'office clerks to handle the letters, papers, and

packages much faster and with much less liability to mistakes, in mailing and delivering than heretofore. Besides, the printing of the cards of address Will enable persons to have their address more fully and particulaily given-even to such minuteness, (in smaller characters,) not only as the street, and number of the house or office, but more particular directions, as, for instance, how the carriers may find the person addressed, or at what hours of the day, or night, in special places.

Third, business, or professional, nien can have their business, or professional, cards continually accompanying their post-office address, at a. trifling cost, the cards of ad dress required, being comparatively few, as explained above.

Fourth, newspaper publishers may greatly facilitate the mailing of papers to subscribers, who will furnish, on subscribing, a number of cards of address equal to the number of papers subscribed for, to be yearly (or at Vany other stated period) returned to the publishers, Without any additional cost.

These address cards may be t put iii small compartments of a subscription case, whence they may be readily taken, and

inclosed in the transparent Wrapper, at once, y

with the papers.

Fifth, the saving to the Government, by.`

diminishing clerk hire, in thelarge postcffices, and otherwise, incidentally, in connection with franking, and by` diminishing the number of advertised and dead letters, te., When the improvement shall have come into general use, will be quite great.A The Government may further facilitate the operations of the post-ofiice department, by

special law, or regulations, such as directing` that the name of' the distributing `office be printed on the card of address.

The costof manufacturing the improved envelops will scarcely, if any, exceed that of ordinary envelops noW in use. For While the additional cost of rendering the envelops and Wrappers transparent, Will be but little, a cheaper quality of paper may be employed, not requiring to be finished so highly as for receiveng the pen. The cards of address also willcost only a mere trifle. Particularly, business men will really save expense, by being enabled to dispense With many ofthe ordinary business cards. v ,i

lWhat l claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The envelops mader transparent, (or equivalently prepared,) so as to receiveV and properly exhibit the cards of address, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified. V

2. I also claim the combination of the cards `of address and the transparent (or equivalent) envelops, substantially iii the manner and for the purpose herein specified.

J. S. BROWN.

Witnesses: y

WM. FRANK BROWN, R. F. OsGooD. 

